Are you looking for a healthy savory snack to munch on and not feel guilty about?
One of my favorite snacks for the holiday season has been my mom’s Chex mix. BUT the major problem with her recipe was gluten, gluten and dairy!
So it quickly became a snack that I was no longer able to eat or at least that’s what I thought. Until I realized I could substitute the major offending ingredients, like wheat cereal, and even corn cereal (I just never liked corn cereal) and butter with ingredients like using only Rice cereal and adding coconut oil in their place now making it safe and tolerable for me to eat.
Chex Mix is a snack that can be enjoyed anytime. For me this is a snack I always enjoyed during Christmas but I am loving it during this time of the year. There are many different ways to make Chex mix and substituting ingredients for seasonal ones can be just as delicious! Chex Mix, for me is a satisfying and delicious, snack that can be either savory or sweet but always crunchy definitely able to please everyone!
So when I first made my initial batch I decided to use the crock pot. Luckily, I was stirring the cereal every 10 minutes because my batch was starting to burn. Plus, the crockpot versions, at least for me the taste was not the same. The Chex mix seemed not all thoroughly baked and I obviously needed more moisture in the crockpot to effectively and thoroughly bake all the cereal.
Needless to say I dumped the first batch and went back into the kitchen. I made a brand new batch but baked my Chex mix the way I know my mom and countless others make it using the oven which yielded the results, the flavor, the texture I was looking to achieve.
I wanted to share my ‘experiment gone wrong’ with you all because in failure that is also how we learn not to repeat it! However, I’m not saying there aren’t probably really good versions using the crockpot, but for me I was not about to throw out another batch of a failed recipe in the garbage. Plus, I don’t mind sharing with everyone what worked for me and what did not. I love my crockpot for many, many recipes, but not for making my non-traditional traditional Chex mix!
Enjoy!
XOXO
Megan
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp. Garlic powder
- 1 tsp. Onion powder
- 1 ½ tsp of Brown Sugar
- ¼ tsp. Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tsp. Chili Powder
- 1 tsp. Paprika
- ½ tsp. Pepper
- 1 ¼ tsp Salt
- 9 cups Rice cereal
- 1 ½ cups pretzels, gluten free
Condiments
- ¼ -½ cup flavorless coconut oil
- ¼ cup Coconut Aminos (options)
Nuts
- 2 Cups salted peanuts
- 1 ½ cup cashews (optional)
Directions:
- In a large bowl, combine cereal, nuts and pretzels.
- Preheat oven to 250 degree and line baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a separate bowl, combine the coconut oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, brown sugar and the optional coconut aminos and mix these ingredients thoroughly and then drizzle over cereal. Mix gently using a spatula until the cereal is all evenly coated
- Place on parchment paper as evenly as you can and bake for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes
- Let cool then store safely in any air tight container.
LEMONBERRY & FIG 